Featured in Issues & Controversies in American History:
KOREAN WAR: Vital in the Fight Against Communism or Not in U.S. Interests?
Backed by the Soviet Union, the communist nation of North Korea invaded its noncommunist neighbor, South Korea, in 1950, starting the Korean War. Many Americans argued that the United States should intervene to defend South Korea to prevent it from falling under Soviet domination and communist control. The United States, they contended, had a moral responsibility to assist nations unable to protect themselves. Opponents of U.S. intervention, however, argued that, although South Korea was noncommunist, its government was authoritarian and not representative of American democratic values. The fate of South Korea mattered little to U.S. strategic interests, they contended, and the United States should not get involved in a military conflict halfway around the globe.
Let your students get the facts and decide for themselves: Should the United States intervene to help defend South Korea against North Korea during the Korean War? Or is U.S. intervention in the war unjustified? Be sure to check out Issues & Controversies in American History’s clear and unbiased examination of the Korean War this month.
Click on the links below for more information about Issues & Controversies in American History:
